


the city is at war

by karasunonolibero



Series: beauty and rage [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mob, Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Interrogation, M/M, Violence, everyone's a lil fucked up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-08-10 05:41:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20130259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karasunonolibero/pseuds/karasunonolibero
Summary: Sugawara draws his gun, and spares a glance to his right to see everyone else doing the same until eleven muzzles are pointed at the courier. The courier backs himself into the corner of the room, wedging himself in between the walls and the package.“I wouldn’t shoot if I were you,” he taunts. “Because this box is filled with some very powerful explosives. Easily enough to take out this entire half of the house, if you miss. So put those guns down, would you?”~or, someone's targeting the clans of the Northern Alliance, Sugawara likes knives a little too much, and Oikawa is a banana thief.





	1. shut up, i got this

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT as of 14 august 2019: i've marked this a work in progress! i wrote this but then decided i wanted to write more in this universe and it made the most sense to just add on to this.
> 
> ok listen i dreamed about this on a long bus ride so the second i woke up i grabbed my laptop and banged this out. idk what it is. definitely definitely inspired by the wonderful mafia aus that already exist in this fandom. i hope this contribution is worthwhile.
> 
> rated mature for talk of sexual situations/acts and violence.
> 
> title comes from [the city is at war by cobra starship](https://youtu.be/oNF08htoH00)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw, suga has a bit of a Thing for knives. he likes them a Lot. and also an instance where he licks up blood. 
> 
> i just really like the idea of suga taking charge ok

This is the first time Sugawara has ever felt uneasy calling a Northern Alliance meeting. With a potential mole on the loose in Karasuno clan, he’s wary of inviting even more outsiders into the house, but if the other clans are having trouble too, then they may be able to work together.

He and his partner Daichi sit at the head of the polished mahogany table in the conference room, waiting for the other clan leaders to join them. As nervous as he is, he knows that if anything goes wrong, he and Daichi can tackle it. Plus, they have Kageyama hiding in the ceiling with a sniper rifle, just for peace of mind.

“They’re late,” Daichi grunts, fiddling with his tie. “They don’t care.”

Suga puts a hand on his shoulder. “They’ll come,” he says simply, certain as he is that the sun will rise in the morning.

As if on cue, Ennoshita cracks the door open and pokes his head in. ‘They’re here.”

“Who?”

“All of them.”

The double doors open, and in stroll the leaders of the clans of the Northern Alliance. First there’s Moniwa and Futakuchi from Dateko; Bokuto and Akaashi from Fukurodani; Kuroo and Kai from Nekoma; Terushima from Johzenji; and finally Oikawa and Iwaizumi from Seijoh.

“Thank you all for coming,” Daichi says once they’ve all taken seats.

“Is there a good reason you dragged us all here on a nice day?” Terushima slouches in his chair, using the tip of his knife to pick at some dirt under his fingernails.

“There is.” Daichi’s jaw is set. “We have reason to believe there is a mole inside Karasuno and we wanted to know if any of you have had…similar trouble.”

“A mole?” Oikawa leans forward, brown eyes sharp with curiosity.

“Uh…” Suga fidgets, unsure exactly how much information they feel like disclosing. Under the table, he feels Daichi’s hand on his thigh, giving him a comforting squeeze; he takes a deep breath and continues. “We’ve had two incidents in the past month where missions that were only known to people inside these walls failed. Most recently, we sent one of our runners to Shimada Mart for a pickup last week, but the package wasn’t there. The only ones who knew about the pickup were Karasuno members.”

Silence blankets the table. Moniwa shifts, looking uneasy. Terushima pockets his switchblade.

“Thank you for sharing,” Akaashi speaks up from the opposite end of the table. “We had something similar happen two weeks ago. Our best sniper was sent to take out one of the Nohebi leaders, but the mark never showed up. We found out later he changed his plans to be on the other side of town.”

“Like he knew you’d be waiting for him,” Sugawara mutters. “Anyone else? I swear on my life and on Daichi’s too, everything you say in here will be kept secret.”

“But how do we know the mole isn’t in this room?” Kuroo arches a brow.

“The only people in this room are allies, Kuroo,” Iwaizumi says. “We’ve known each other how long? If one of us were a mole, why wait this long to act?”

“More information?” Kai shoots back. “Waiting till we’re all weak?”

“Stop, all of you.” Sugawara slams his fist on the table, and they all quiet down. “I’ll have no accusations of anyone in this room. Does anyone else have any other incidents to share?”

One by one, each clan tells of a failed mission, a compromised delivery. They’ve all been struck.

“Then none of us, and no one in your clans, is the mole,” Daichi concludes. “Why would the mole hit his own clan?”

“To cover it up? Create suspicion?” Akaashi shrugs.

“It’s someone in Shiratorizawa,” Oikawa declares.

“Do you have proof?” Bokuto and Daichi say at the same time.

“…No.”

Iwaizumi huffs. “You can’t just accuse people from clans you don’t like, Shittykawa,” he grumbles.

“How is your relationship with Shiratorizawa?” Suga asks.

“We’re still not allies, but we’ve been at something like a truce for the last six years,” Iwaizumi says. “But I don’t think it was anyone from Shiratorizawa. They only have quarrels with us, not any of the rest of you.”

“We’ve never even interacted with Shiratorizawa,” Kuroo says.

“There you go.”

“Hold on,” Terushima interrupts. “What about that new clan that popped up, the one that’s allied with some of the clans in the south? The ones with a fox on their banner?”

“Inarizaki,” Sugawara mutters. “You think it’s them? Why?”

“I didn’t say it was them. I was just thinking about who it might be. Who has beef with us.”

There’s a knock at the door, and Ennoshita peers in again. “I’m sorry to interrupt. There’s a courier here with a package.”

Suga furrows his brow, immediately on his guard. The clan leaders are in this room, so who would be sending them something? “From who?”

“Wait, that was me.” Daichi looks sheepish as he stands up. “I ordered some office supplies online.”

There’s a beat of silence, and then Bokuto, Kuroo, and Terushima start to giggle.

“This isn’t funny!” Daichi protests, which of course just makes them laugh harder.

Even Sugawara lets a chuckle escape. “You can accept it. Thank you, Ennoshita.”

But Ennoshita doesn’t leave. “He says he wants to bring it inside himself.”

Suga stops laughing. “The office supply company always leaves packages at the door.”

“Let him bring it in. Everyone in here is armed, anyway, right?” Daichi says. “If he’s trouble, we can take him.”

Ennoshita nods and disappears, leaving the door cracked. Then Iwaizumi starts to speak again.

“That happened to us the day before yesterday,” he says carefully. “Someone with a package asked to come in and leave it. Said it was because it was furniture and it was heavy and he wanted to help.”

“Wait, me, too,” Kurro says. “But yesterday.”

“Don’t tell me this happened to the rest of you, too,” Sugawara says, glancing around the table, only to be met with grim nods. “Well, fuck.”

“I don’t like this,” Daichi says. “Can you describe the courier?”

This, at least, varies a little. Kuroo says his courier was tall and blond; Bokuto says theirs had black hair and was shorter.

Kai swears under his breath. “I wish we knew more about the southern clans. I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if they started trying to expand their territory, but…”

“But why attack one of the strongest alliances in the north?” Akaashi finishes.

Suga’s ears prick up at the sound of footsteps in the hallway. “Be ready,” he warns, a hand resting over the gun on his hip.

Ennoshita unceremoniously pushes the courier inside, along with a large box almost as tall as him. “Tell him where you want it, boss.”

The courier grins. “Well, hello, Northern Alliance. Inarizaki sends their best.”

~

To Sugawara, the next few seconds feel like they happen in slow motion. He draws his gun, and spares a glance to his right to see everyone else doing the same until eleven muzzles are pointed at the courier. Twelve counting Kageyama. The courier backs himself into the corner of the room, wedging himself in between the walls and the package.

“I wouldn’t shoot if I were you,” he taunts. “Because this box is filled with some very powerful explosives. Easily enough to take out this entire half of the house, if you miss. So put those guns down, would you?”

Terushima, Kuroo, Kai, and Akaashi lower their guns, but the rest of them stay up.

“You’re the courier who delivered my Switch last week,” Oikawa accuses.

The courier just grins, too placid for someone standing behind a box of dynamite. “Guilty.”

“What do you want from us?” Bokuto demands.

“Just a few favors,” the courier says innocently. “You do owe us, after all. The information we have on all of your clans…well, that sort of information could end you, in the wrong hands.”

“So you _were_ the mole!” Daichi roars. “How? And what’s your name?”

The courier drops in a mocking bow. “Miya Atsumu, at your service, Sawamura-sama.”

Someone’s phone beeps, breaking the tense atmosphere. Then another, and then another. Miya smirks. “I would check those messages.”

Kuroo’s face pales, and he makes a cut-off choking sound. “What the fuck?”

“What the _fuck_!” Oikawa snarls at his own phone and glares at Miya.

“What the fuck,” Sugawara whispers, leaning over to snoop on Oikawa’s phone.

**Kindaichi [13:32]**: A BOMB WENT OFF IN THE LOUNGE  
**Kindaichi [13:32]**: KYOUKEN AND MAKKI AND MATSUN WERE IN THERE  
**Kindaichi [13:33]**: AND KUNIMI TOO I THINK  
**Kindaichi [13:33]**: YAHABA’S JUST WENT IN  
**Kindaichi [13:33]**: I DON’T KNOW WHO DID IT ARE YOU OKAY

Miya laughs. “Your packages contained explosives, too. Hidden in the leg of a table, or the mechanics of a game console. You’re welcome.”

“You just killed my entire clan!” Kuroo growls; Akaashi reaches out and grips at his wrist.

Miya sniffs. “I’ve love to take the credit, but unfortunately I might have only gotten a few. And even more unfortunately, I gave them the weaker stuff. They’ll recover in time. Maybe without an arm or a leg, but they’ll recover.”

Suddenly, the smile slides off Miya’s face. His eyes cloud over, and he slumps back against the wall.

Sugawara looks up just in time to see the ceiling tile slide back into place. “Nice job, Kageyama-kun.”

~

The next fifteen minutes is organized chaos. Half of each pair goes back to their respective houses to take care of the bomb aftermath. Daichi heads out with Moniwa to dispose of the package safely while the rest of them drag Miya downstairs to the interrogation room in the basement.

“You all are welcome to stay for this, actually,” Sugawara offers as they prop Miya up in a wooden chair and chain his wrists and ankles. “We like to sic several people on someone at a time for an interrogation, and since his clan has hurt all of yours, you’re free to join in.”

OIkawa chuckles. “I’ve heard of your mobbing strategy,” he says. “If the rumors are true, you’re the scariest clan to be caught by.”

Sugawara just flashes his teeth in a grin. “Would you like to find out?”

Oikawa is right—Karasuno favors group attacks and teamwork, and interrogations are no different. Oftentimes they’ll surround their captive, waiting for them to wake up, before overwhelming them till they break. Knowing they still have some time before the tranquilizer dart wears off, Sugawara busies himself picking through the cabinets of interrogation tools. “Feel free to pick something out. Just don’t touch the silver knives.”

Kuroo whistles. “Shit, I’m glad I’m on your side. I’d hate to wake up and see this in my face,” he says, holding up a mean-looking paddle with spikes embedded in it.

Terushima snorts. “Kinky.”

“It can be,” Sugawara says mildly, prompting a hoot of laughter from Bokuto. “Damn, you and Daichi are fucking freaks. This is probably just your sex dungeon.”

“You’re all fucking freaks,” someone says. Miya’s awake.

“That makes all of us, then.” Sugawarasteps forward, his favorite two weapons in his hands: a silver handgun and a deceptively delicate silver knife, both gifts from Daichi. All silver, to match his hair. “Oikawa-san, would you be a dear and turn on the video camera?’

“The what?”

“I got it,” Terushima says; a second later, a small red light in the wall blinks on.

“This is totally their sex dungeon. I’ll bet you my favorite switchblade they film themselves,” Sugawara hears Kuroo whisper to Bokuto. He ignores them and steps up to Miya, threading a hand through Miya’s hair and yanking hard to force his head back.

“Here’s how this is going to go,” Sugawara cooes, pitching his voice lower and making his words even smoother. “You’re going to tell us everything about Inarizaki and why you’re fucking with us. Don’t try to act all big and strong, now. Since you’re from the south, I doubt you’ve heard about our torture methods, but you’re about to get well acquainted with them. And so will the rest of your little clan when I send this tape back to Inarizaki with you. When you’re a corpse or just asleep is your choice.”

“You’re sick,” Miya spits out from between clenched teeth.

“Thank you.” Sugawara gives him a saccharine smile, slips his knife between his teeth, and waltzes away.

“No offence, Suga, but you’re fucking terrifying,” Terushima grins. “It’s kinda hot.”

Sugawara takes the knife out of his mouth, still holding it close to his face. “You should tell Daichi. Maybe something could be arranged.”

“Can you guys, like, not organize a threesome right now?” Kuroo mumbles.

Sugawara smirks. “It’s all part of the game.” He sticks his tongue out, draws it up the blade, and then turns back to their captive.

~

Sugawara’s so single-mindedly focused on the interrogation, straddling Miya’s lap to get right in his face, that when the door bangs open, he raises his gun in a panic, finger hovering over the trigger.

It’s only Daichi and the others, though; Daichi’s laughing. “You boys having fun in here?”

“Almost too much.” Sugawara snickers and backhands Miya across the face, just because he feels like it. “We got some names, but nothing about why they’re targeting us.”

Miya turns his head to the side, coughs up blood, and then looks at Daichi. “You really want to know?”

Oikawa huffs and crosses his arms. “You’ll talk to Daichi-san but not us? I’m offended.”

“Yeah, I’ll talk to someone who’s not _fucking_ _insane_.”

Sugawara pouts, but gets up. “Fine, Dai-chan. We’ll get out of your way. Play nice with the little fox.”

Before he leaves, he stabs his knife into the back of the chair, less than an inch from Miya’s neck.

~

Fifteen minutes later, Daichi calls them back in. “We got what we needed,” he says. “Kai was right. The clans in the south are thinking of creating an alliance like ours to try and challenge us for our territory, but first they wanted to weaken us.”

“Nice try,” Oikawa sneers.

“Let’s send him back, then.” Sugawara switches off the video camera, then removes the memory card. He places the card in a plastic case about the size of a cassette tape and shoves the case into Miya’s front pocket.

“I’ll have Tanaka and Nishinoya take him back,” Daichi says. “The rest of you should get home and make sure your clans are okay.”

“Yaku texted again and said the bombs didn’t too much damage. Everyone’s hurt, but nothing life-threatening or serious, so that’s all I was hoping for,” Kuroo says.

“Same here, more or less,” Oikawa adds, checking his phone. “Poor Kyoutani might have hearing loss, though.”

“Stay safe, guys,” Daichi tells them. “You have any trouble, call us.”

“Will do.” With a salute, the leaders take their leave; it’s just Daichi and Sugawara and Miya, who’s still squirming in his seat (albeit more weakly now). Nishinoya and Tanaka show up a minute later and work quickly—they knock him out with a chloroform-soaked cloth, then roll the body up in a blanket and carry him outside. Then they’re alone, finally; Sugawara drapes his arms over Daichi’s shoulders and grins at him.

“You’re hot when you torture people.” Daichi runs the pad of his thumb over Sugawara’s bloody lip. “Did you lick the knife again?”

“I did, but that was from Miya headbutting me,” Sugawara says with a smile, licking the red spots from Daichi’s thumb.

“How bad did you hurt him?”

Sugawara sighs. “Not as much as I wanted to, but I still had fun. Oh, by the way, Terushima had an idea…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p.s. i'm sorry miya i actually love the miya twins i just wanted someone not obvious cos i feel like daishou would be too easy to use as a spy, you know? anyway that is that! i'm thinking about writing a little more in this au?? idk i realized i really like this but i also feel like there are so many mafia aus already. so let me know if you want to see more of this?
> 
> [main blog](http://humhalleloujah.tumblr.com) // [haikyuu!! blog](http://karasunonolibero.tumblr.com)


	2. afraid of what you can't control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a second chapter!! whee!!! thank u emma for reading this over ur the real mvp

After they send Miya back to Inarizaki, things are quiet. Too quiet.

Iwaizumi has been restless, wanting to send scouts down south to see what Inarizaki is up to, but Oikawa always says no. Too risky, he fears, and Inarizaki is a complete unknown.

Hell, none of them had even known the clan _existed_ until Terushima mentioned them. Which Terushima should have said way earlier, but at least they’re aware now.

The clan leaders meet twice a week to try to talk strategy, but nothing ever comes of it. The interrogation resulted in some names and motives, sure, but that’s not enough information to be useful. They can’t just waltz into the southern territories, guns ablaze, without starting an all-out _war_. So Oikawa does what he does best: pester.

He makes visits to each of the clan houses, hanging around and trying to glean any information he can in the process. Iwaizumi calls it spying; Oikawa calls it being a good friend.

“If they had news for us, don’t you think they’d tell us?” Iwaizumi grumbles when Oikawa returns from the Dateko compound with a Bluetooth speaker he’d wheedled Futakuchi into letting him borrow. Oikawa just smiles, puts on his sex playlist, and dims the lights.

Three weeks after the Miya incident, Oikawa’s at the Karasuno compound, stealing pastries from the kitchen and affectionately harassing Nishinoya. Nishinoya, however, is less than amused and keeps threatening to drag him down to the interrogation room if he doesn’t shut the fuck up.

“You’d never,” Oikawa declares, reaching for a mini chocolate chip muffin after having eaten through all of their milk bread.

“Test me, Tooru,” Noya snaps, opening a banana like it personally killed his family.

“You know,” Oikawa says after a beat of silence, jerking a thumb at the framed photograph of a nude figure kneeling on the ground hanging on the wall behind him, “for a clan involved with art theft, you should get a better picture for that wall.”

“That picture’s worth over ¥400000, Shittykawa.”

Oikawa gasps in mock offense. “Mean, Noya-chan! Have you and Iwa-chan been hanging out behind my back?”

“Hey, you uncultured—”

Before Nishinoya can finish his insult, the overhead light flickers twice and then flashes red. Oikawa chokes on the mini chocolate chip muffin, coughing so hard he spits a few crumbs out. Nishinoya gives him a look of pure disgust.

“Get it together. You’ve seen worse.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Oikawa sputters.

“It means the perimeter alarm got set off.” Noya drops the uneaten banana, grabs his gun and his phone off the counter, and takes off. “Stay in here. And stop eating all our food!”

Then he’s gone, leaving Oikawa to snag the banana. He’ll buy Nishinoya three bunches next week in return.

He hears doors slamming, someone—Daichi—shouting, and then a commotion in the foyer.

When the lights flick back to white a few minutes later, Oikawa hisses at the sudden brightness. If the alarm is off and he hasn’t heard a single gunshot, it must be safe to come out. He tosses the banana peel in the trash and traipses out into the foyer to see half the Karasuno clan gathered around Nishinoya, who’s holding something.

“…shot at him as he ran away, but he’s even more slippery than the Nohebi bastards,” Noya’s saying. Asahi’s brushing dirt off Nishinoya’s jacket, Hinata looks scared, Ennoshita seems more relieved than anything, and Sugawara…well, Sugawara looks like he wants to commit at _least_ a double homicide.

“What happened?” Oikawa asks.

“Miya came back,” Nishinoya tell him.

“What the fuck?” The last time he’d seen seen Miya, the man was barely conscious and beaten to a pulp. Bruises littered nearly every inch of his fair skin, his mouth dripped blood, and half his fingers were broken or missing their tips. And at least a bone in his face, too, considering how many times Sugawara hit him. “He’s that stupid?”

Nishinoya holds up his hand. In his hand is a clear plastic case with a memory card inside. “Seems like he just came to leave us this. When I saw him, he threw it at me, and then turned tail and ran. Hey, Ennoshita?” he asks suddenly. “Are those tracking bullets done yet?”

“Not yet.” Ennoshita looks sheepish. “I’ll make them a priority though. It would help to know where their base is.”

Sugawara opens the case with a furrowed brow. “This is the interrogation tape we sent.”

“Why would he give it back?” Hinata wonders.

“Because they put something new on it.” Sugawara removes the card and turns to head up the stairs. “Let’s go see.”

They all follow Sugawara up to the library on the second floor, collecting the rest of the clan on the way. It’s a bit of a squeeze in front of the computer, with all fourteen clan members plus Oikawa, but they manage. Asahi lets Nishinoya perch on his shoulders for a better view.

Sugawara was right—there’s a new video file on the card. “Play it,” Tanaka urges.

The screen is black for a few seconds, then Miya appears, wearing a smirk designed to irritate.

Sugawara scowls. “Next time I’ll break his fucking face so hard he won’t be able to make that fucking smirk anymore.”

“I don’t think you sound bloodthirsty enough,” Tsukishima mutters.

“Who knew Mr. Refreshing had such a violent side?” Oikawa snickers. Though they look the most unassuming, the Karasuno clan are easily the most terrifying of the entire Northern Alliance. Oikawa’s just glad they’re on the same side.

“Thank you for the _warm_ Karasuno welcome,” Miya’s saying onscreen. He’s in a grey-walled room, devoid of ornamentation. “You made even Ojiro a little spooked and he’s not easy to scare, so congratulations. After meeting you in person, it’s safe to say we see why the Northern Alliance has held strong for so long.”

“Does he want to get to the point anytime soon?” Kageyama grumbles.

“But enough chatter,” Miya says as though he heard Kayegama’s complaint. “In response to your aggression, I’m afraid we have no choice but to declare war on you. We’re well aware that means we’ll be at war with the entire Northern Alliance, but we’ll take our chances.”

“Are they crazy? We’d crush them like bugs!” Tanaka yells.

“Don’t underestimate us.” Miya folds his arms. “And watch your backs.”

The screen shows the Inarizaki clan banner for a few seconds before going dark. Daichi checks to be sure that’s the end of the video before ejecting the card.

“That little…fox bitch,” Nishinoya hisses.

Tsukishima rolls his eyes and pushes his glasses up his nose. “If you’re looking for the vulpine equivalent of a bitch, female foxes are called vixens.”

“Say that again, crow bitch!”

The smile that Sugawara directs at the bickering pair to make them shut up is downright _terrifying_.

“So…we’re at war with the southern clans?” Yamaguchi says after a beat of silence.

“I can’t believe I’ve been left out like this. Where’s my declaration of war?” Oikawa pouts, crossing his arms.

“Don’t feel left out. You’ll probably get one soon enough.” Tsukishima says. He’s a wildcard, Oikawa thinks. A decent strategist and good at shooting in close range, from what he’s observed, but Tsukishima always seems to be on a different page than the rest of the clan. Oikawa’s never been sure what to think of that.

“I can’t tell if it’s all of the southern clans or just Inarizaki,” Kinoshita says. “They don’t have an alliance like we do, so it’s not the same.”

“When we had him downstairs, he said they were looking to start one,” Daichi says. “He might have been lying, but I think we should treat it as true just to be on the safe side.”

“So you’re saying every clan is going to war, basically,” Oikawa says.

“I think that’s what’s about to happen.”

“But what about Shiratorizawa?” asks Hinata.

“I don’t know what side they’d be on? They have business in the south,” Ennoshita points out. “I think it would be best if they stayed neutral.”

Noya shakes his head. “Their base is here in the north and most of their rings are also in the north. They only have a handful of rooms in the south. I’d rather have them on our side if it comes down to it, which they should be.”

Oikawa may not personally like Shiratorizawa—mostly just their leader, Ushijima—but he’d be willing to put that aside if necessary. “Me, too.”

Hinata looks at him in surprise. “Even the Grand King of Seijoh would ally with him? This is really bad.”

Sugawara looks up from his phone. “I texted Kuroo. He’s on his way over.”

“What for?” Tsukishima asks, making a face.

“To go to Shiratorizawa and ask for a temporary alliance.”

For thirty long seconds, nobody says anything. Sugawara scoffs. “What? It’s the only logical thing to do at this point. I’m more than a pretty face, you know.”

Oh, Oikawa knows. He’ll never be able to forget the look on said pretty face down in the interrogation room—fierce and bloodthirsty and even a little bit seductive. It was the most terrifying thing he’d ever seen, and he’s seen a _lot_. The thing about Sugawara is that he flips the switch so smoothly it’s eerie. One moment he’s all business, leading a clan meeting, and the next he’s licking knives and pistol-whipping enemies in the face for fun and making jokes about threesomes. And the next he’s scarily…normal, laughing at Nishinoya’s antics and playing video games with Tanaka and sitting quietly reading the news on his phone.

“I just didn’t think it would be right now,” Asahi says. “Why Kuroo?”

“Insurance.” Sugawara glances at his phone again. “That way someone doesn’t have to go alone, there’s a witness in case something happens, and more than one clan is represented. And he’s here,” he adds as the doorbell rings.

“How the fuck did he get here so fast?” Tanaka wonders.

“He probably took that new electric scooter he bought,” Nishinoya says. “That thing’s awesome. I want one.”

“Absolutely not,” Daichi and Ennoshita say at the same time.

“Aw, come on! You guys never let me have any fun.”

“We let you have more fun than you deserve,” Daichi informs him.

“The last time we let you have the car, you tried to make flames come out of the exhaust pipe and made it unsafe to drive,” Ennoshita adds.

“Poor Yamaguchi almost flipped it over because you fucked up the power steering.”

“Anyway, even that scooter wouldn’t be fast enough. He was probably in the area, looking for—”

“Enough!” Sugawara yells over the sound of the increasingly rapid ring of the doorbell. “Kuroo’s waiting.”

Oikawa follows Daichi, Sugawara, Kinoshita, Hinata, and Tsukishima back down to the foyer. Kuroo’s at the door, his black hair even more unkempt than usual. There’s a stain on the shoulder of his casual jacket.

“You could stand to brush your hair, you know,” Tsukishima says as Kuroo shoulders his way in.

“You love it.” Kuroo smirks as he shakes Daichi’s hand. “What’s so urgent?”

“You didn’t tell him?” Hinata squawks.

Sugawara ignores him. “We’re going to Shiratorizawa to ask if they’d ally with us for the war.”

Kuroo blinks twice before bursting out in his maniacal cackling laugh. “Ohoho, you guys are funny! You really want me to go right up the their doorstep, ring the doorbell, and give ‘em a pitch like we’re door-to-door salesmen?”

“I’ll call ahead and let them know we’re coming,” Kinoshita offers.

“We? Are you all going?” Kuroo asks, surveying the group.

“Just me,” says Daichi.

“Me, too!” Oikawa cuts in.

Everyone turns to stare at him. “I thought you hated Ushijima,” Hinata says.

“I do, but I’ll go. Then Seijoh’s got a representative, too.”

Kinoshita’s already got his phone pressed to his ear as he walks away from the group. “Soekawa-san? It’s Kinoshita, fom Karasuno. Is Ushijima-san around? We wanted to meet with him…”

Sugawara looks back at them. “The more of you there are, the better so you can look out for each other,” he says. “If anything happens to Daichi, your clans are going to be leader-less.” Oikawa knows words like those from Sugawara are promises, not threats, so he just nods.

Kinoshita comes back, pocketing his phone. “He’s there. They’re expecting us in fifteen minutes.”

“We’d better get going, then,” Daichi says. “We’ll take my car.”

“Be careful.” Sugawara cups Daichi’s face in his hands and presses a chaste kiss to Daichi’s lips. “Stay safe. Come home to me.”

Daichi leans his forehead against Sugawara’s. “I will. Take care of everyone.”

The moment is so tender, such a rare expression of softness from Sugawara, that Oikawa feels like he just witnessed something more private than if he’d walked in on them having sex.

Kuroo nudges Oikawa’s arm, drawing his attention. “Let’s not burn daylight. I’d like to be back in Alliance territory before dark.”

Oikawa nods, and they head out to the garage, where Karasuno’s fleet of various cars lives. Daichi’s is in the corner—a sleek black Toyota Century that Oikawa recalls Daichi saying he chose because it was luxurious, but relatively low-profile.

“Shotgun,” Kuroo yells, and hops into the front seat.

“No fair!”

“I’m too tired for this,” Daichi grumbles, jogging up to the car and getting in the driver’s seat. “Let’s just try and make this as painless as possible.”

Out of all the northern clans, Shiratorizawa is the closest to the north-south boundary line, and Karasuno is the furthest north. It’s not long of a drive, but with Inarizaki’s growing boldness, Oikawa understands why the mood in the car is tense. Daichi’s knuckles are white as he grips the steering wheel; when Kuroo reaches for the radio, Daichi slaps his hand away.

“Someone’s on edge,” Kuroo observes.

“You aren’t?”

Kuroo shrugs. “It’s a necessity.”

“If he says no, what do we do?” Oikawa wonders aloud.

“Carry on, I guess,” Kuroo replies as Daichi turns onto the main road. “And hope we don’t need them.”

~

They arrive at the Shiratorizawa compound twenty minutes later and park around the block.Oikawa’s never liked the look of the place—too ominous, he always says, with the heavy iron gates out front and black marble in the foyer. Everything’s too _dark_.

Soekawa greets them at the door with a solemn nod. “Ushijima-san is expecting you. I’ll take you to his study.”

Oikawa follows behind Kuroo and Daichi, stubbornly ignoring any Shiratorizawa members they pass. He’s made it clear he doesn’t think highly of Shiratorizawa and Ushijima in particular, and though the other northern leaders don’t understand, it’s not entirely personal.

Ushijima’s office is only accessible by a private elevator, hidden away in a corner of the building that seems to be his own private wing. Oikawa couldn’t imagine being so separated from the rest of his clan like that—his suite, while definitely more luxurious than, say, Kunimi’s, is on the same floor as Makki and Mattsun’s. Does Ushijima really think of himself so highly? Or has Shiratorizawa always had the leader’s quarters so isolated?

Kuroo fidgets the entire elevator ride up. Daichi looks calm. Oikawa’s antsy like Kuroo, trying to look anywhere but Soekawa’s face.

“There’s no need to be nervous,” Soekawa says, as though reading Oikawa’s mind. “Fortunately he’s in a good mood today.”

“Why’s that?” Daichi dares to ask.

Soekawa doesn’t answer. The elevator glides to a silent stop, and they all file out like children following a teacher. Oikawa sees Daichi take a few deep breaths and square his shoulders, like he’s trying to psych himself up. Kuroo has stopped fidgeting and is now just tensing his jaw.

Oikawa grins, slapping them both on the back. “Lighten up, you two! It’s just Ushiwaka.”

Daichi gives him a sideways glance. “Shouldn’t we be saying that to you?”

“Me? Oh, I’m perfectly fine,” Oikawa says breezily. “I can put my feelings aside for the good of my clan, you know.”

“That wasn’t my point, but okay.”

Soekawa opens a door Oikawa hadn’t noticed before and motions for them to step inside. “You have half an hour. I’ll be out here.”

Daichi nods. “Thank you, Soekawa-san.”

Ushijima Wakatoshi sits behind a desk—black marble, like everything else—with his hands folded. His face is neutral as always as he stands to greet them. “It’s good to see you again. Daichi-san, Kuroo-san. Oikawa-san.”

Oikawa resists the urge to make a face and just inclines his head when Daichi speaks up for all of them. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Ushijima-san. We’re all busy and time is of the essence, so I’ll get right to it. We’ve come to ask for a temporary alliance.”

There’s a pause. Oikawa can practically see the thoughts churning around in Ushijima’s head. “A temporary alliance?” Ushijima repeats.

“Yes.” Kuroo explains the events of the last month, starting with the sabotaged missions and ending with the the declaration of war they received this afternoon. “We know you have business in the south, but we ask that for as long as we are at war with the southern clans, you lend your support to our side.”

“You said yourself that I have dealings in the south,” Ushijima points out. “Why should I jeopardize my business for a clan war when I’m not allied with any of you?”

“Less than ten percent of your rooms are in the south. Even if you lost that business, it would barely affect you,” Kuroo points out.

“And,” Oikawa adds, “with the southern clans fighting _all_ of us, we’re not sure if you’ll be safe, even if you’re neutral. Mujinazaka can’t be happy that you operate on their side of the city.”

“You may have a point,” Ushijima says, leaning back in his chair. “What would this do for me?”

“You’d receive our clans’ protection and support in the event you do get dragged into this,” Daichi says. “We’re not asking for you to join the Northern Alliance. We’re only asking if you’d take this side until the war is over, and then you can go back to being neutral.”

“And do you know how long this war will last?”

“No,” Oikawa admits, crossing his arms and staring at Ushijima’s desk.

“Then I would prefer not to involve Shiratorizawa. My clan’s safety and security come first, as I’m sure you understand. We will deal with any aggressiveness from the south on our own.”

Oikawa opens his mouth to protest, but Kuroo shuts him up with a hand on his shoulder. “We understand. Thank you for meeting with us today.” Daichi’s tone is practiced and neutral, but Oikawa doesn’t miss the irritated quirk of his lips as Soekawa opens the door and they turn to leave.

He pauses, waiting for Kuroo and Daichi to exit, then he turns around to stare directly at Ushijima. “Have it your way, Ushiwaka-san, but don’t come crying to us when they target you next.”

~

“Well, we tried,” Daichi mutters as they leave, the metal gates swinging shut behind them with a clang. He looks and sounds like a puppy with its tail between its legs, and Oikawa is absolutely not going to have that.

“Hey, Dai-chan,” he says as he leans forward to hook his chin over Daichi’s shoulder. “Kuroo-chan is right. We don’t need them. If Ushiwaka wants to let Mujinazaka take over their rooms, then it doesn’t affect us.”

“It shouldn’t, but what if it does?” Daichi frets. “What if the southern clans decide they don’t want to stop at Shiratorizawa and they come for us?”

“Then let ‘em.” Kuroo just his chin out. “Let them see what happens when you fuck with the north.”

Daichi opens his mouth to say something but suddenly, his gaze goes steely. “Hey, Kuroo?” he says, his voice suddenly tight.

“Yeah?”

Daichi reaches into his pocket and drops the keys into Kuroo’s hand. “Do me a favor and drive back.”

Oikawa swears he hears movement in the shrubs next to them. He stills, hand flying to his pocket. “Do you hear that?” The bushes rustle again. Oikawa draws his gun and fires into the shrubbery, mostly as a warning shot.

Suddenly Daichi doubles over, grimacing and clutching his leg. “We should—fuck—maybe get going. And soon.”

“What happened?” Kuroo ducks down to help Daichi hobble down the sidewalk.

“We have to move.” Oikawa shoots again, hearing the bullet ricochet off the stone wall behind the bushes. “Take him back to the car. I’ve got your back.”

There’s a flash of green and yellow, almost camouflaged in the bushes but that glimpse is enough for Oikawa to know those are Nohebi colors. He swears and keeps his gun pointed at the bushes as he runs to the car, yanking the door open and helping Kuroo load Daichi into the backseat. “Let me see.”

He rolls up the leg of Daichi’s pants, grimacing at the blood starting to soak the seat, but whips his shirt off and balls it up. Daichi hisses as he presses it against his wound. “Keep pressure on it till we get back. Kuroo, floor it.”

“Well, shit,” Kuroo says as he slams the gas pedal so violently they all pitch forward, “I always knew I wasn’t gonna live too long, but I can’t say I thought Sugawara would be the one to do me in.”

“On the contrary,” Oikawa muses, recalling the not-so-subtle threat Sugawara had sent them off with, “I’m not surprised one bit.”

~

Sugawara is _seething_ when he opens the door to see Oikawa and Kuroo standing there, Daichi supported between them. “Tooru! Tetsurou! You two had _one_ _job_!” he screams at them.

Kuroo gulps. “Actually, the one job was to ask Ushijima—”

“It was to keep _my husband_ and the leader of this clan safe, you dumbass!” Sugawara glowers at him, then at Oikawa. “You, too!”

Oikawa manages a chuckle. “Dumbass? You’ve been spending too much time with Tobio-chan and Chibi-chan.”

Kuroo furrows his brow. “Wait, since when were you two married? And how come you didn’t invite—”

“If you don’t shut the fuck up, Tetsurou, I’ll put a bullet in Kenma’s leg and let you see how this feels.” Sugawara’s voice is scarily calm; his expression softens when he looks at Daichi. He holds his arms out, gathering his partner—_husband_, apparently—from Oikawa’s grip. “How bad is it, darling?”

Daichi gives him a thumbs up, but his face is pale. “It’ll take more than a Nohebi bullet to take me out.”

Ennoshita comes scurrying out with a first aid kit. “I’ll get him to Kinoshita.”

“Thank you.” Arms crossed, Sugawara turns back to the two clan leaders in front of him as Daichi limps away. “If it were any worse, I’d kill you both where you stand. Count yourselves lucky,” he says, stepping aside so they can follow him into the first-floor living room. “Other than that, how did it go?”

“He said no,” Kuroo says flatly, running his fingers through his hair. Like that’ll do anything to tame his permanent bedhead. “Said he’d prefer not to get involved.”

“Shit,” Sugawara hisses. “I can’t say I didn’t expect it. Because of business, right?”

“Yup.” Oikawa scrunches his mouth to one side as Kuroo keeps talking.

“But I have a feeling being neutral won’t help Shiratorizawa. If Inarizaki or any of the other clans see them as a threat, they won’t be safe.”

“That could be true. If things aren’t good between Shiratorizawa and whichever clan controls most of the southern side’s gambling, they might be a target, too,” Sugawara points out. “Isn’t that, uh…”

“Mujinazaka,” Kuroo supplies.

“Right, them.”

“Watch them target Shiratorizawa and then Ushiwaka will come crawling back saying he wants that alliance now,” Oikawa mutters.

Sugawara sighs. “We can continue this tomorrow. You two should go home,” he says, sounding exhausted all of a sudden.

Kuroo nods. “It’s getting late. We can meet tomorrow afternoon, if everyone’s free.”

“We’ll call it urgent.”

“I’ll send the message.” Kuroo waves and disappears into the night.

Oikawa yawns. “He really is like a cat. Just comes and goes whenever the hell he wants. I’m getting a drink before I go.”

“Touch any of the tequila and you’re a dead man,” Sugawara calls after him. Oikawa shrugs him off and wanders into the kitchen. Nishinoya’s in there again, baking up a storm with Asahi.

“You’re not having any,” Nishinoya says without looking up.

Asahi swats him with an oven mitt. “Hey, I like Oikawa.”

“I do too, when he’s not stealing my bananas.” Noya squints at Oikawa, who’s opening the refrigerator door. “You guys really didn’t know they were married?”

“Hey, neither of them wear a ring,” Oikawa points out. “And this was the first time he ever referred to Daichi his ‘husband,’ so.” 

Nishinoya rolls his eyes. “While we’re at it, me and Asahi are married, too. You know, since you’re too dense to know love when you see it.”

Oikawa’s jaw drops. “No fucking way.”

Nishinoya glares at him for a second before bursting into laughter. Oikawa makes a face at him and hightails it out of the kitchen with the bottle of water he stole from the fridge, Noya’s shout of “You owe us bananas and milk bread, you thief!” fading behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story is...starting to get a bit out of control plot-wise fjsdkhsdf but i hope u will stick with me for more


	3. in all chaos, there is calculation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when i started writing this, i thought futakuchi was moniwa's vice captain, so that's why i had him as part of dateko's leadership, and i'm too lazy to change it and i like futakuchi, so he's staying kjsdhfksj

Sugawara doesn’t know who he’s more angry at: Oikawa and Kuroo for not looking out for Daichi, Ushijima for not agreeing to the alliance, whichever Nohebi fuckwad shot at Daichi, or himself for not going in Daichi’s place. Kinoshita assured him that the wound was minor and would heal within two weeks. That didn’t make him any less upset.

For Nohebi to have taken a shot at Daichi in broad daylight _in_ Shiratorizawa territory…the boldness was unsettling. What if Shiratorizawa said no to the alliance because they’d already made a pact with the south?

The thoughts keep him awake all night while Daichi snores next to him. Finally, when he sees the sky beginning to lighten, he gets up and treads down to the kitchen. A plate piled high with dorayaki sits on the island—Asahi and Nishinoya were busy last night. He takes one, sitting at the table and chewing absently while he thinks.

There’s no taking this lightly. He wants action and he wants _answers_. Already, he can feel the adrenaline starting to make his veins sing and his fingers tingle. He’ll get the action he wants. He’s just got to make sure they all play their cards right.

There’s the sound of quiet footsteps entering the kitchen, and then the light flicks on. Sugawara doesn’t have to turn around to know who’s up. “Good morning, Kageyama-kun.”

“Sugawara-san? How’d you know it was me?”

“You’re the only one whose slippers sound like that.”

Kageyama hums; Sugawara turns around to watch him open the refrigerator. “Sometimes, it’s scary how observant you are.”

“You all are my family. If I didn’t know this shit, then I’d have no right calling myself the second-in-command here,” Sugawara says coolly, popping the rest of the snack in his mouth.

“There’s a meeting today, isn’t there?”

“Three o’clock.”

Kageyama sits next to Sugawara, a carton of milk in his hands. “Things will work out,” he says quietly. “We’ve dealt with southern clans before. We’ll do it again.”

Sugawara nods. “Yes, but before, that was individually. I just hope we’re not underestimating whatever alliance they’ve started. And with Daichi healing up for the next two weeks, we won’t have a leader in the field and I don’t like that.”

“Can I be honest, Sugawara-san?” Kageyama jabs the straw into the carton and takes a sip. It makes him look like a little kid rather than a twenty-four-year-old member of a yakuza clan. “I think of you as our leader, too. I feel like you and Daichi share that. With all you do and how strong you are, there’s no way I can see you as just a second-in-command. And it’s not just me. I think I speak for everyone when I say that.”

It’s a confidence-boosting and humbling thing to hear, that he’s looked up to as a leader. “That means a lot, Kageyama-kun. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I’m just telling you the truth.” The younger man crumples up the empty carton and tosses it into the trash bin. “Have you seen Hinata yet?”

“He hasn’t come down yet, but if you see him, tell him Ennoshita’s been asking for him. Something about next week’s auction.”

Kageyama nods and disappears, leaving Sugawara alone again. He gets up to make some tea, watching the first rays of morning light start to peek over the skyscrapers and checking his phone when he vibrates in his pocket. The message stops him short; the cup clatters to the counter with a dull bang and he runs up the stairs to his room, leaving the kettle abandoned on the stove.

Daichi is still asleep when Sugawara bursts into their room. “Dai-chan, get up,” Sugawara whispers, crawling onto their bed and shaking him awake. “Get up. I just heard from Ushijima.”

“Hmm?” Daichi sits up slowly, already looking worried. “What happened?”

“Ushijima just texted the group and said Semi went out for a pickup last night and never came back. They haven’t heard anything so they think he’s missing.” Sugawara turns his phone over in his hands. “Tanaka came back last night, right?”

“He did. At least he texted that he did.”

Two more vibrations in a row. The first is a private text from Oikawa.

**Oikawa [06:09]: **what did i tell you? he’s in trouble and now he wants our help

Sugawara scoffs and opens the Northern Alliance groupchat, where Oikawa’s begun complaining about Ushijima to everyone else.

**Oikawa [06:10]: **how convenient, he didn’t want anything to do with us before but now that he’s been targeted, he wants our help  
**Moniwa [06:10]: **It’s probably serious for him to text us like this  
**Kuroo [06:11]: **i’m not really surprised considering what happened yesterday  
**Akaashi [06:12]: **I think we should ask him if he wants to join the meeting today, if it’s okay with Daichi-san and Sugawara-san, since it’s in their home.  
**Moniwa [06:12]: **Wait, what happened yesterday?  
**Oikawa [06:12]: **i don’t want him there!!!  
**Kuroo [06:13]: **we’ll tell you at the meeting  
**Bokuto [06:14]: **we were going to meet anyway so maybe we can all make a plan together  
**Sugawara [06:15]: **i just talked to daichi and he’s okay with it. all in favor?  
**Bokuto [06:15]:** yes, and it’s a yes from Akaashi too  
**Moniwa [06:16]: **Yes on behalf of me and Futakuchi  
**Iwaizumi [06:16]: **yes.  
**Oikawa [06:16]: **traitor iwa-chan!!!  
**Iwaizumi [06:17]:** deal with it, shittykawa.  
**Kuroo [06:17]: **yes from me and kai  
**Sugawara [06:18]: **that’s a majority so it’s settled then. i’ll text the other chat and tell him to come.

Daichi scoots forward, hooking his chin over Sugawara’s shoulder to read the messages. “Terushima isn’t up yet.”

“He’s never up before mid-morning unless absolutely necessary.” Sugawara yawns. “Kinoshita has you on bed rest. What are you going to do about the meeting?”

“I’ll just Skype in from here.”

Sugawara leans into his side. Daichi’s even warmer than usual. “I’ll bring you breakfast.”

“Thank you.”

“And then I’m going to find whoever did this to you,” he says, voice turning to velvet as his breath quickens, “and break every bone in their body before I make them bleed out.”

Daichi grins, tilting Sugawara’s chin up for a kiss. “That’s my baby.”

~

Kuroo and Kai show up an hour early. “How’s Daichi?” is the first thing out of Kuroo’s mouth as he blusters into the living room past a startled Yamaguchi.

“He’ll be fine. Kinoshita said it’s pretty mild as far as gunshot wounds go,” Sugawara tells him from where he’s flopped on one of the sofas. “You’re here early.”

“Just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” Kuroo sits down next to him, Kai at his side. “Is he coming?”

“Skyping in from our room.”

Kuroo nods. His brow is knit, and he keeps biting his lip. “Sugawara-san, I’m sorry—”

Sugawara shakes his head. “Don’t apologize. Did you shoot him?”

“Fuck, no!”

“Then it wasn’t your fault.”

“Aren’t you mad?”

“Of course I’m fucking mad.” Sugawara takes a deep breath and releases, feeling his chest flatten as he exhales. “But being angry at you isn’t going to do anything. Better to focus on finding who did it so I can—”

“Terushima’s here!” Hinata calls from the foyer.

“Send him in!” It’s been two weeks since Sugawara and Daichi invited Terushima over for a threesome, and they haven’t seen him since, but Sugawara trusts the Johzenji leader to be professional about it.

“Morning!” Terushima bounces into the room and throws himself on one of the other couches.

“It’s two-fifteen in the afternoon,” Kai points out.

Terushima just grins. “I said what I said.” He reaches into his pocket and starts to coo. “Hey, you can come out now. They’re friends.”

“What the—” Sugawara blinks as Terushima removes a small rodent from his pocket. “What _is_ that?”

“His name is Sora and he’s a sugar glider. Say hi, Sora!” Terushima cradles the small animal, which is no bigger than his palm. It blinks up at Sugawara with big round eyes, then turns around and launches itself at Kuroo.

“What the fuck!” Kuroo recoils as the tiny creature lands in his hair and immediately starts burrowing. “Stop it! That’s my hair, bro!”

“Well, it can’t get any worse,” Tsukishima snickers from the doorway.

“You stay out of this! And _you_, control your rodent!”

Terushima cackles and lets Sora sniff and tug at Kuroo’s hair. “He likes you!”

“What the hell is in your hair?” Iwaizumi’s voice sneaks up on them.

“Ask him.” Kuroo points at Terushima with a murderous glare.

“Suga-chan!” Oikawa plops next to Sugawara, slinging an arm across his shoulders. “Sorry to hear about Dai-chan. “

“Don’t call him that.” Sugawara narrows his eyes. “But thank you. He’ll be fine, but it’ll be a few weeks until he’s healed.”

“Ah, so we’re stuck with you then? What a shame,” Oikawa says blithely.

The rest of the clan leaders trickle in over the next forty-five minutes, with Ushijima and Soekawa arriving at three o’clock on the dot. Sugawara stands up, and all eyes turn to him. “Right. The conference room, then? Daichi will be Skyping in from our room.”

When they enter the conference room, Daichi is visible on a small tablet screen set up in front of his usual seat. He’s sitting up against the headboard, pillows visibly propped behind his back, but his eyes are bright and his voice clear when he begins to speak. “Thank you for coming today on such short notice.”

“Feels like we’ve been having an awful lot of emergency meetings here lately, Sa’amura,” Kuroo drawls with a lazy smile.

“A lot’s been happening,” Sugawara says gravely.

“I think,” Oikawa says, “we should begin with yesterday’s events.”

Moniwa nods in agreement. “Earlier this morning, Kuroo-san mentioned that something happened yesterday.”

Kuroo sits up a little straighter. “Yesterday, Karasuno received word from Inarizaki that the southern clans are declaring war on the Northern Alliance. Oikawa, Daichi, and I went to Shiratorizawa in person to ask for a temporary alliance, but were declined. As we left, we were shot at by a sniper in the bushes we believe to be from Nohebi. Daichi was hit.” Terushima draws in a sharp breath. “So, Ushijima, do you want to pick it up from here?”

“Yes.” Ushijima stands to tell his part of the story. “Shortly after the three of them left, I sent one of my runners, Semi Eita, on a routine delivery. It is a route he has taken dozens of times before and has never had any trouble with. However, he has not returned in over twenty hours and we believe given the circumstances, we have cause to worry. So, with that in mind, I would like to know where all of you were last night between eleven and six this morning,” Ushijima finishes. The subtext isn’t lost on Sugawara—the Shiratorizawa leader wants to eliminate any possibility of the culprit being in this room. It’s a little cold, but Sugawara understands.

It takes a while to go around the table while the leaders give their alibis, as well as a brief description of where all their clan members were. Sugawara knows they all have nothing to worry about, but the information is comforting nonetheless. Oikawa smirks when it’s his turn. “I was busy with Iwa-chan all night,” he says smugly. “Want the record from my heart rate monitor?”

“Oikawa, really?” Moniwa mumbles. Iwaizumi puts his face in his hands.

“You have a heart rate monitor?” Kuroo laughs. “You have LifeAlert too, old man?”

“You’re all just jealous.”

“Of Iwaizumi? Nah, what I’m feeling is pity.”

“Kuro-chan! I’m never doing business with you again.”

“Oikawa, please, save the bickering for later,” Sugawara sighs. “I believe it’s Moniwa’s turn to speak.”

“Ah! Right.” Moniwa clears his throat before explaining that everyone in his clan was at the compound all night. Once Terushima finishes his own summary, the table falls silent.

“Have you ruled out any accidents? Unintentional mishaps?” Iwaizumi asks.

Ushijima’s expression doesn’t change. “Shiratorizawa does not make unintentional mishaps.” Oikawa scoffs. Everyone ignores him.

“Then if everyone’s alibis are true, any foul play must be the work of the south,” Akaashi concludes. “Kuroo-san, you said the shooter yesterday was from Nohebi. Did you see who?”

Kuroo shakes his head. “We’re not a hundred percent sure, but Oikawa said he saw them wearing green and yellow, which we know are Nohebi colors.”

“That’s not enough to fully put the blame on them, though,” Futakuchi points out. “For all we know, it could be someone from another clan in Nohebi colors to throw us off.”

“Maybe, but if the south really is forming an alliance, then the clan doesn’tmatter. Attacking or even accusing any of their clans of that attack could be enough to make things escalate faster than we want,” Akaashi says.

“I don’t want shit to escalate at all,” Terushima mutters.

“Nobody does,” Daichi says, “but I think it’s inevitable at this point. They’ve already issued a declaration of war. The question isn’t whether something will happen, it’s when, and what the catalyst will be.”

The ominous statement only has a few seconds to sink in before a ringing phone cuts through the room. All eyes turn to Ushijima, who calmly removes his phone from his pocket and takes the call right there at the table. “Hello?”

Oikawa scoffs from his chair, leaning over to whisper something to Iwaizumi. Bokuto shifts uneasily. Sugawara doesn’t take his eyes off Ushijima’s face, watching his expression carefully for any hints as to what this call is about. It’s not unusual for clan leaders to take calls during meetings, but most of the time they’ll excuse themselves to a corner, not talk right at the table. But with Semi’s disappearance in mind, Sugawara’s glad to be able to keep an eye on Shiratorizawa’s leader.

He watches as Ushijima’s face drains of color and he nods. “I see,” he says into the phone. “I am at Karasuno negotiating with the Northern Alliance leaders. I will ask. If I don’t return in two hours, send someone. Thank you.”

Daichi breaks the few moments of tense silence after Ushijima hangs up. “Bad news?”

“Excuse me for taking the call, but it was urgent,” Ushijima says, his voice heavy. “Soekawa-san informed me that we received a video message on a thumb drive in which Inarizaki and Mujinazaka claim joint responsibility for the disappearance of Semi Eita.”

Sugawara clenches his fists under the table and mouths a curse to himself. It all but confirms a new southern alliance, but that’s not the scary part. He doesn’t know a lot about Shiratorizawa’s members, but he does know that Semi Eita knows nine types of martial arts and is said to be one of the deadliest gunmen in the clan’s ranks. If even _he_ couldn’t fight his kidnappers off…

“What did they do to him?” Kuroo asks in a whisper.

“They neglected to say. Their wording was only that they were responsible for his disappearance.” Ushijima clears his throat, his face still pale. “I understand if the offer is rescinded, but I am open to a temporary alliance.”

Daichi nods. “I can’t speak for all the clans, but I know Karasuno would be relieved to have you on our side.”

“Nekoma as well,” Kuroo adds, and Moniwa adds his agreement.

“You’re all serious? Really?” Oikawa sneers.

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi warns.

Oikawa sniffs but doesn’t apologize. “What, Ushiwaka-chan? You didn’t want to help us before but now that you’re in trouble, you come crawling back? You’re fucking transparent and I don’t like that.”

“I thought you were getting over that,” Kuroo says pointedly.

“Oh, I’m over what happened before. This is something new to be mad about.”

Ushijima frowns. “Oikawa-san, I don’t understand why you don’t like me.”

“This really isn’t the time,” Moniwa says, only for Oikawa to talk right over him.

“You really want to know why I don’t like you?” Oikawa slams a fist on the table and stands up, voice rising. Iwaizumi’s hand darts out to grab his forearm in a vain attempt to pull him back into his chair. “Because you and your clan are always—”

“Sit. The fuck. Down.” Sugawara’s voice is quiet, but everyone shuts up immediately. Oikawa freezes and practically falls back into his chair. “You two need to sort this petty shit out.”

“I have no issues with Oikawa-san,” Ushijima says, glancing at Oikawa, who snaps, “Stop looking at me. I don’t like you.”

“I don’t give a flying fuck who has issues or whose fault it is,” Sugawara bites out. “We have much bigger problems to worry about and I will not let you drag the rest of us down because you can’t get along. Do you want us all to die?” Ushijima shakes his head. “Then get it the fuck together.”

The door swings open and a frazzled Ennoshita pops in. “Is everything okay? We heard yelling.”

“You can blame these two.” Sugawara points at the Seijoh and Shiratorizawa leaders. “We’re fine, though. Thank you.”

Ennoshita shuts the door behind him, and everyone relaxes a bit. Oikawa still finds the time to shoot a glare in Ushijima’s direction. “Okay then,” Futakuchi says. “So I guess we’re all on board?”

Everyone turns to look at Oikawa, who crosses his arms and looks away before giving a tiny, sullen nod.

“Are you sure?” Ushijima says, brow furrowed.

“We are,” Sugawara and Daichi say at the same time.

“Are you really sure?”

“If you say that one more time, we’re kicking you out,” Oikawa snaps.

“No, we’re not, because this isn’t your house, Oikawa,” Sugawara bites out.

“He eats our bananas like it’s his house,” Daichi mutters.

“I heard that!”

“Good, you were supposed to.”

“What will the terms of this alliance be?” Ushijima interrupts.

“As we stated yesterday, you’ll receive our support in return for yours,” Kuroo says. “If you’re attacked, we’ll retaliate with you. If any of us are attacked, we’ll expect the same. We don’t expect any business you do with us to change, but for all intents and purposes, until this war is over, you’re part of the Northern Alliance.”

“And when it is over?”

“Things go back to how they were before.”

Ushijima pauses. Sugawara can practically see the gears turning in his head. “And will Shiratorizawa receive any sort of payment in return?”

“Ushijima-san, please consider what we are already offering,” Akaashi says, voice even and quiet as always. “The moment you were told what happened to Semi Eita, you are the one who brought up the temporary alliance again. You want our support. You _need_ our support. Because as strong as Shiratorizawa is, you cannot hope to stand against all of the southern clans alone, and I think you know that. If our manpower, weaponry, and intelligence is not enough of a contribution for you, then I think we are better off not making this deal with you, Ushijima-san.”

Bokuto releases a hissing breath. Sugawara’s gaze darts to Daichi on the screen, who’s nodding ever so slightly.

“I understand,” Ushijima says after twenty awkward seconds of complete silence. “I did not realize asking for recompense would be perceived as such a slight. I apologize, but you must understand. It’s only business.”

Across the table, Oikawa slumps back in his chair with his arms crossed. “Ah, the great Ushiwaka apologizes. I never thought I would see the day.”

“Oikawa, I _will_ have Nishinoya eject you from this house,” Sugawara bites out.

Oikawa rolls his eyes, but says no more.

Ushijima stands once more, and for a moment, Sugawara thinks Oikawa’s really gone too far this time, that the Shiratorizawa leader is about to leave and dash all hopes of a temporary alliance against the rocks. “I accept your terms,” is what Ushijima says instead. “You have a deal.”

Solemnly, the leaders of the Northern Alliance take turns shaking Ushijima’s hand, Terushima grinning as he does so. “Welcome to the north,” Futakuchi says.

Suddenly, Kuroo screams. Sugawara’s hand goes to the gun at his hip, and he sees Futakuchi and Kai do the same. But in reality, Kuroo is just raking his hands through his hair and making the bedhead even worse, glaring daggers at Terushima.

“Terushima, get your damn rodent out of my hair or I will personally ship all of your weird exotic pets back to wherever they came from!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like this was not That eventful but it's setting a bunch of stuff up for later!! i can't promise when the next update will be but sometime in the spring, definitely. thank you for reading!


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